


Written Dreams

by Ninj



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-08
Updated: 2012-06-19
Packaged: 2017-11-07 08:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/428790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninj/pseuds/Ninj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt fill for <a href="http://upupa-epops.livejournal.com/140851.html"> Elena Gilbert Comment!Ficathon </a> <i>I’m just a writer. I write things down. I walk through your dreams and invent the future.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, this is really an Elena story more than it's an Elena/Damon story. It's not that Elena is a perfect character, it's that she's an interesting one. Also Elena/Damon is harder to write than I anticipated. 
> 
> Secondly, I have not written fanfic in a long time, but TVD is eating my soul. This was probably never intended by the prompter to be so long, but it really ran away with me. I recognize that at times it is all over the place so constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated because I think this fandom is going to have a grip on me for awhile.

Once when things were normal Elena had wanted to be a writer. Not a fiction writer mind you, but someone who got to the truth in things. Since Elena has come to the truth in things she finds it much less appealing. Elena had discovered that truth was pretty much fiction anyway. If her life were a book it would be have to be fiction, because no one would believe the truth. As it turned out there were not only vampires and werewolves, but star crossed romances and love triangles. Elena was sure she’d read this book before and hadn’t liked it. Yep, if Elena Gilbert wrote down the story of her life it would be crappy vampire fiction book that got mocked by everyone. 

Trying to distract herself from her dark thoughts on the meaning of her life Elena glances at her the closed door to Jeremy’s room. She wants to go and talk to him and explain what he had seen in Denver, but even Elena didn’t know how to talk about it. This was probably why authors plotted out there books-so that characters actions made sense. Elena couldn’t lie to Jeremy or herself and say that what happened in Denver meant nothing. So instead of trying to set things straight with Jeremy Elena headed downstairs. Alaric was supposed to stop by soon for more of his stuff before heading out of town.

Alaric arrived shortly after Elena got downstairs and poured herself a much needed cup of coffee. Sadly, he brought Damon with him.

“Why are you leaving town again?” Elena follows Alaric around in an attempt to avoid Damon. Damon is being difficult about the whole situation and following Alaric around too. All the way upstairs at which point Elena has had enough and she turns on him “Do you mind?” 

“Leaving you alone with Alaric who sometimes kills founding family members and doesn’t remember? Yes!” Damon seems frustrated that she would even ask, and also angry.

If Elena were writing this story she’d have a solution to this mess. Since Elena realizes she is writing this story she wishes she knew how this was going to end. Definitely Elena wishes she had pre-planned a few story elements. She really hated love triangles.

“I’m not going to hurt Elena,” Alaric replies as he stuffs clothes into a bag. “In fact, maybe she should come with me. Now that Klaus has what he wants you never know when he may try to skip town with Elena.”

“The only one who skips town with Elena is me,” Damon answers, followed by a smirk. “Plus she’s way too much fun for you to handle.”

Elena thought going out of town sounded like a wonderful idea. Elena was done listening to her ideas they led from the frying pan into the fire. Instead, Elena rolls her eyes like she’s supposed to do and foolishly pushes at Damon.

“I’ll scream if he tries to kill me, now just go wait downstairs or something.”

If Elena thought she was getting her hand back she was mistaken. Damon looks only too pleased to take hold of her hand and keep her out in the hallway with him. He is studying Alaric intently as he packs.

“Elena should do what she wants, but whatever man I’m sure Stefan missed her and will be glad to have her back.”

It was such a clear attempt to bait Damon that Elena was startled. Not that Alaric would bait Damon, but that he’d use her and Stefan. Alaric usually left Elena out of it since Damon had snapped his neck. Still Elena needed to make a recovery since she didn’t want a repeat of that particular temper tantrum-promises of good behavior aside.

Damon very purposefully let go of Elena’s hands and held up his own making eye contact with her. It was clear he wasn’t going to do anything to Alaric, although now he looked suspicious and angry. Damon appeared to be weighing his options since lashing out at Alaric didn’t appear to be what he wanted to do.

“Who wouldn’t miss the lovely Elena,” Damon mocks. “I think I will wait downstairs. “

If this were an actual story the sexy vampire (and Elena did not just think that) would stalk down the stairs with dignity, and Elena would run after him. Thankfully, while her life could be fiction it was also real. Damon kicks the door to Jeremy’s to get his attention before going down the stairs while yelling.

“Get out here and watch your sister. Don’t let Alaric kill her.”

“What was that about,” Jeremy comes out of his room and settles on the floor in the doorway between Alaric and Elena. “Why would Ric want to kills you; or is he that mad you made out with Damon?”

“Jeremy!” Elena squeaks. Great, he was going to go around telling everyone. “Alaric, it’s not what you think.”

“It is,” Damon’s amused voice carries up the stairs.

“Elena, it’s ok. I’m not here to judge you.”

“Why are you leaving anyway?” Jeremy isn’t any happier about the situation than Elena is. “Seems like a strange time to leave when we don’t even know what happened with you and Rebekah.”

“I can’t kill anyone if there’s no one around to kill. Also I want to take the ring off, and with all the death in Mystic Falls, it’s just not safe to do it here.”

Apparently done with packing Alaric closes his bag and heads for the stairs. Jeremy dissatisfied with the answer mumbles goodbye and heads for his room. Elena is convinced something is wrong. Alaric doesn’t do things like this, and so she grabs his arm and holds out her phone with a typed message.

  
_Meet at the Grill_   


Alaric nods and continues on his way down the stairs.

“Stay safe Ric!” Elena calls after him. If Elena can avoid any more awkward moments with Damon by staying up here she would. “We’ll call you and let you know what happens.”

Elena hears the front door shut and car start. She returns to her room and changes; assuming the house is empty except for Jeremy. 

“Jer I’m going to the Grill. I’ll be home later,” Elena calls on her way downstairs where she is met by the sight of Damon sprawled on her couch. Elena wants to snarl, instead she keeps walking for the door. 

Not surprisingly Damon makes it there first. Elena is able to stop just out of reach. Physical contact with Damon is a no no she tells herself firmly. The problem is she’s being telling herself that all along, and it never seems to stop her. 

“As much as I’m sure you and Vampire Barbie want to reunite and share your tales of romantic woe, we need to talk.”

Elena wasn’t sure what to do with a Damon that had basically promised he was going to behave out of spite after she tried to get him to sabotage himself. Elena certainly didn’t know what to do with a Damon who wanted to talk. Elena was willing to throw in a distraction to escape. Vampires had taught her to fight dirty, especially this one.

“Actually, I need to go meet Stefan. So if you wouldn’t mind?”

“Liar. You’re not answering his phone calls or text messages.”

“Just get out of my way.”

“When you tell me what you’re doing Elena. This isn’t like you to do what Stefan wants. Don’t try to lay what happened off on him.”

Elena took a deep breath. She backed up a little and gave serious thought to trying to get out the back door. Not going to work, not even worth trying. Elena avoided eye contact.

“I think it’s clear that I don’t know what I’m doing,” she says softly. “I don’t know Damon, what do you want me to say?”

“You can’t keep lying to yourself,” Damon is trying to make eye contact and Elena is having none of it. Eye contact and hand holding lead to other more enjoyable activities and Elena forces herself to stop that train of thought. She finally looks up at Damon. 

This whole situation is just horrible. Elena never wanted to choose between Stefan and Damon. Elena isn’t lying to herself though. Well, not about everything. Maybe a little about Damon, but she just isn’t sure. 

“That’s not what I’m doing,” Elena defends herself. “Look, I just don’t know ok? I told you that already. Just give me space. I need space from you and Stefan.”

“You have to choose something Elena. Stefan, me, a surprise affair with being single, choose something” Damon at least seems pretty clear on the subject, and also pretty desperate. 

“Damon just let me go,” Elena is very much done with this conversation, and she really needs to ditch Damon. “I’m not ignoring the issue.”

Damon seems increasingly frustrated, but also seems to realize that she’s not suddenly going to make up her mind. For all that Stefan is forever a teenager, Damon really has little experience until recently dealing with them while they’re not being drained. Elena guessed she was a particular challenge.

“Make sure you’re home from your date with Vampire Barbie soon. Don’t do anything stupid,” Damon advises as he opens the door. He looks back at Elena. “Call me if you see an Original.”

Damon leaves and all the unresolved feelings stay behind. It’s not much better, but at least the physical temptation to throw herself at him while she tries to decide is gone. Elena hopes that he does trust Caroline to keep her safe; it would not go well if Damon showed up at the Grill and found her with Alaric. She was reasonably certain that fell under the title of what he considered being stupid. Given how Alaric had been acting, Elena wasn’t sure he was wrong.


	2. Chapter Two

Two hours later from her somewhat groggy position in what Elena assumes is Alarics trunk Elena reminds herself that she has really bad ideas sometimes. Also that getting kidnapped by Alaric was going to make both Stefan and Damon really pissed with her. On the bright side, Damon might be mad enough to forget she made out with him. 

If Elena were in charge of this story she might have cleverly found her way out of the trunk even at the high rate of speed it was traveling. As it was she was surprised to find herself unbound, and that she still had her cell phone. Looks like Evil Alaric didn’t know about technology. With a sigh Elena set about composting a text message to her group of ‘Mystic Falls Emergency’ contact list excluding Alaric for obvious reasons. Elena usually tried to sound apologetic about getting kidnapped, but given the day she’s having she’s afraid she just comes off irritated.

  
_Kidnapped in Alarics trunk. No idea where we’re going._   


Elena had long ago turned on the GPS in her phone, and set it to share her location. Elena really hoped help arrived before Alaric got around to stabbing her to death. She turned her phone to silent and was not surprised as text messages from Stefan and Damon appear.

  
_Damon: Getting kidnapped by Alaric counts as something stupid._  


  
_Stefan: I’ll kill him if her hurts you._  


Elena isn’t sure why she felt the pointless need to defend herself to Damon, but she does. 

  
_Elena: I didn’t put myself in Alaric’s trunk!_  


  
_Damon: How’d he get past Vampire Barbie?_  


Elena winced as she realized she was going to have to come clean or get Caroline in trouble. 

  
_Elena: Caroline was never there. I went to meet Alaric because he was acting funny._  


  
_Damon: You have the self-preservation skills of road kill. You run toward danger. We’re on our way-try-try hard not to do anything else stupid._  


Both vampires stopped texting her and Elena lets herself drift off for a while. One thing about being locked in the truck, it gave you time to think. Elena couldn’t help but think about the situation with Stefan and Damon. Her feelings aside a few weeks ago Stefan had tried to drive her off a bridge. He certainly hadn’t seemed to care about her then.

Damon on the other hand, had cared about her for years. Elena may lie to herself about what she felt for Damon, but she didn’t lie to herself about what Damon had done for her. She wasn’t exactly sure why Damon cared about her, at first she thought it was because she was important to Stefan, and then because Stefan ordered him to watch her. However, Elena knew it had to be something more than that. Elena cared for Damon, and you have to be blind not to notice how attractive he was. Elena wasn’t sure really when she started thinking of her and Damon together. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to admit to those thoughts at all. 

Elena felt the car slowing down and then turning. It drove for a bit more and then stopped. Elena sent out one last text message and put her phone in her pocket. She got ready.

When the trunk opened Elena launched herself out of it as best she could. It may have worked if it had been only Alaric waiting for her. Instead Elena was stopped by Rebekah who looked a lot less angry than usual. 

“Calm down Elena,” Rebekah ordered. “You're not going to be able to escape.”

Elena managed to get her feet on the ground and once she was supporting herself she looked back and forth between Alaric and Rebekah and tried to figure out how this partnership had been forged in hell. In no way did it add up to what she was expecting. Rebekah keeps a firm on one arm and Evil Alaric on the other. They start escorting her towards a house.

“What’s going on?” Elena would like to report on this unlikely alliance when she next texts Stefan, but no one would believe her. “Why are you working with a vampire? She’s an Original, shouldn’t you be trying to kill her?”

Elena realizes that advocating for Rebekah’s death in front of her is not going to make Rebekah want to kill her any less. Also since they don’t know who sired Katherine the death of Rebekah could be a very bad thing. Oddly enough Rebekah doesn’t seem bothered one way or the other. 

“She’s not what you think,” Alaric answers and Elena wonders why all the guys seem to get stupid around Rebekah. Alaric grips her harder as they enter the house. Rebekah enters without an invitation or they planned this. 

“Ward the house, her vampires probably already know she’s gone.”

“As will my son,” Rebekah answers. Than much to Elena’s dismay she casts a spell. Son? She cast a spell?

“Esther?”

“Very good Elena you are smart,” Esther inhabiting Rebekah’s body commented. 

Yep, Elena thought to herself as she contemplated the alarming rate at which people inhabited each other, her life was a bad vampire novel, or an endless nightmare. 

“Esther and I have a great deal in common,” Alaric explains as he drags Elena to a char and forces her to sit. “You shame the Gilbert name.”

“Because I don’t kill vampires or because I don’t kill humans?”

“Vampires are not supposed to exist,” Esther states with certainty. “Alaric is going to help me kill all my children.”

“You can’t do that,” Elena feels strongly about this. She has friends, and vampires she may love. “You can’t just kill everyone.”

“Don’t worry dear, you won’t be around to miss them,” Esther advises with sympathy in her eyes. “For that I am sorry.”

Someone should have told Esther that Elena didn’t react well to death threats because she might have been better prepared for Elena picking up the lamp and hurtling it at her, while trying to bolt forward for the door. Sadly, if no one had told Esther Alaric seemed to have gotten the memo because his hand fisted in her hair and yanked her back.

“The more time I spend in this body the more memories I have,” Evil Alaric slams her body down into a chair. 

“What does that mean?”

“I know how troublesome and reckless you are. Try to escape again and I’ll break your legs.”

Esther comes forward and secures Elena to the chair. It seems from the way she's been talking she is not as dedicated to Elena's death as she is to the death of her children. 

“My son will come for you soon,” Esther informs her. Esther reaches up and pulls Elena’s hair out of her face. “By the time he finds you Alaric will be ready. The vampires will be dead soon, but don’t worry my dear. You won’t have to watch anyone else die this time.”

“You already tried to kill them all,” Elena doesn’t think her plea will work, but she isn’t capable of just sitting there and letting this happen. “Klaus will just hurt more people to make your plan fail.”

Elena’s please fall on deaf ears as Esther takes a pair of shears to her shirt sleeves baring Elena’s arms. She then hands a knife off to Alaric.

“As always Elena you don’t understand how special you really are,” Esther watches is satisfaction as Alaric makes shallow cuts about two inches long into each forearm-above the wrist. Due to the way her arms are tied blood starts dripping into bowls placed by Esther.“It may take Alaric time to rid the world of my creations, but it will be done. Without you and your blood Klaus can hardly stop us.”

“Klaus is going to show up here and kill Alaric,” Elena feels helpless anger as she watches her blood slide slowly down her arm. She hates her blood. It may be special but it doesn’t make her strong. She makes all her choices to preserve her blood and therefore her life, and other people die for it. She'd give it away if it didn't mean her life, and if so many people didn't seem to want her to keep it.“Klaus will kill anyone you send after him.”

“Alaric can’t be killed thanks to the Gilbert ring.”

“I wouldn’t bet on something that can be removed,” Elena mutters sullenly. How is it that she’s cheering for Klaus to come kill Esther again? 

“Don’t underestimate me,” Alaric says his voice harsh in her ear. “I got you didn’t I?”

Elena doesn’t find that argument compelling. Alaric should know how many times she’s been kidnapped. She always gets rescued. She’s sure this time will be no different. She knows her story ends with her blood, but she really hopes this isn’t it. Bleeding out due to your former guardian’s evil spirit and Klaus’s mother was just too tacky. 

“Sleep now Elena,” Esther commands, and it’s like compulsion because the blackness swallows Elena.


	3. Chapter Three

Elena thinks time has passed when she becomes aware of her surroundings, and she is sure that something is wrong. When Esther spelled her she’d been in a house somewhere. Now she’s awake and sitting in her window ledge. Elena thinks about staying put until she has more information, but can’t figure out how she would get more information without investigating further. As she walks past her mirror she sees her reflection and winces. 

Elena’s arms are bruised and the shallow cuts on her forearms are still there. Blood crusts her hands, and there are dark shadows under her eyes. Elena senses movement out of the corner of her eye and turns. It’s Damon.

“You’re here,” Damon seems surprised as he looks her over. His eyes darken as he takes in the state of her arms. “The vervain must be out of your system.”

“Did you rescue me?” Elena sits back down on the windowsill. “Something feels wrong.”

“We’re dreaming,” Damon tells her straddling a chair. “As always you’re dreaming about me.”

Elena rolls her eyes and looks out the window. Things don’t look solid so Damon’s probably right. He’s right that she dreams about him too, but she’s not going to mention that part.

“Too late. It’s our dream Elena. I know what you’re thinking. Don’t lie.”

“Why are we here?”

“To get information. Someone had to talk to you and this was the only way. Witchy and Klaus can’t get through the barrier. We’re not sure why.”

“Esther has my blood,” Elena warns him. As she speaks her arms flair in pain and more cuts appear. Deeper cuts and the blood is flowing faster. “Damon, she’s going to kill me.”

“She’s going to kill us all from what I hear.” 

Elena wants to get up and pace. She can’t sit here and talk about this with Damon, she has to do something. As she stands her legs give out, her vision tunnels as the blackness starts to take over. 

“No! No!” Damon snarls as he reaches out and hauls her up and then into his lap. Somehow they’ve both ended up on the window seat. “They’re taking too much blood. We have no choice now. Elena stay with me.”

“I’m trying. No choice? You have a plan?” Elena doesn’t know if it’s due to the end of her physical movement or just that she’s getting used to bleeding more but the blackness has receded.

“Stefan and Klaus have a plan. If Esther weren’t trying to kill us all Klaus would send her a fruit basket for getting Stefan to talk to him again.”

“What’s the plan?” Elena doesn’t really care. She feels safe and warm here with Damon. She’s dying and it’s not like she can help. Her arms twinge again and now there are symbols on her arm. The bleeding has stopped at least.

“They’re going to burn it. They’ve been testing-it’s just a vampire barrier. If Bonnie helps they can burn the house.” Damon does not sound pleased with the plan. His arms tighten around her. “Alaric and Esther will have to leave the house to avoid being burned. Bonnie doesn’t think Esther has enough magic to stop the fire and hold the barrier against vampires.”

“Well that’s the barrier taken care of,” Elena tries to stop herself from thinking about how Alaric will kill her before letting her be rescued. “Klaus and Esther can stop Esther I’m sure.”

“If Alaric kills you he’ll be ripped to pieces.”

“I’ll still be dead. Esther won’t let Klaus have my blood. Esther won’t let me live period.”

“Fake your death Elena. They’ve taken so much blood. I can feel it. Fake it when you wake up.”

“I’m not going to wake up Damon,” Elena says softly. “They took too much. You’re best hope is that they don’t do something irreparable like break my neck before they leave. Get me to a hospital and hope it’s soon enough.”

“Klaus wants to take you and leave Mystic Falls,” Damon warns her. “There’s no easy solution to making you safe.”

Elena turns in his arms and meets his eyes. If Elena weren’t so exhausted she’d try to lie to him. The truth is she doesn’t have much fight in her at all. Another problem after Esther is too much. She can’t admit how exhausted she is, she knows that Damon is too. They’ve been in this together since they found out she was a sacrifice. So she avoids the issue and tries to distract Damon instead.

“I was thinking earlier my life is a really bad vampire novel.”

“Nope. Too many sexy vampires to be a bad vampire novel. Too many vampires in general though.”

“It was only supposed to be Stefan,” Elena whispers softly. “It was always supposed to be Stefan.”

“Supposed to be? Elena you’re killing me here.”

“You snuck up on me. You don’t play the roll you’re supposed to.”

“I’m not going to apologize for that. I know what I want Elena. It’s pragmatic to do what it takes.”

“Don’t lie,” Elena echoes snuggling back down into his chest. “Don’t get killed trying to stop Klaus.”

“Dead or gone with Klaus sound remarkably similar in terms of not being acceptable options for you. Although Klaus said Stefan could go with you.”

“Wouldn’t that be a nightmare,” Elena can’t stop herself. Like everything else in this dream the words just flow. In for a penny in for a pound. “You’re way more fun to road trip with than Klaus. A much better influence too.”

“How about I won’t die if you don’t?” Damon challenges. “Klaus is going to go after Esther. I can get you and we’ll leave.”

“Even in your head that doesn’t end well. Help Klaus get the barrier down, stop Esther and Alaric. Save yourselves.”

“I don’t think your story was supposed to end like this with you bleeding to death in a house,” Damon wants to save her so badly she can hear it in his voice. “I think you would write a better ending for your bad vampire novel.”

“Dying in your arms seemed pretty inevitable,” Elena counters. “Magical doppelgangers aren’t supposed to get happy endings, and as you’ve said you never get a happy ending.”

“I think I’m due for one,” Damon is watching her fade. It’s not the fading that indicates waking up. They really took too much. “I think we’re due to get what we want.”

“You always get what you want,” It’s a joke. Elena knows better than most that he doesn’t. “You need to wake up and tell them to burn it. Take what blood you can get and stop Esther and Alaric.”

“Your blood can’t be the key to everything. Besides Esther has more of your blood at this point than you do.”

“Take what’s left. You know it’s going to be the only way to stop her. Then get me to Meredith.” Elena wants him to live more than she does herself. It’s not anything new; she’s never wanted anyone to die for her. She loves him here in this dream she can admit it to herself and while she doesn’t want to die in his arms, it’s peaceful.

Damon looks like he wants to shake her and Elena belatedly remembers that their thoughts are open to each other. He’s never liked the thoughts of self-sacrifice. She’s getting tired again, and the blackness is back in her vision.

“Make me one last deal,” Damon demands.

“It’s getting dark Damon what is it?”

“I can hear what you think here Elena. When we save you, when you wake up-I want to hear you say it.”

Elena pulls herself up and out of Damon’s arms. She looks down at the symbols and the blood, and Damon fading away. If she wrote the next part they’d have time to grow into the statement, but for now she can’t be sure. She can’t write the future, all she can write is the end, and it’s written in her blood. It’s the bravest, stupidest thing Elena does to invent a future where her blood doesn’t end it, and the truth doesn’t destroy what’s left, but she can’t end it on these words. So Elena hopes that she pulls off one last escape from death and speaks.

“I love you Damon.”


	4. Chapter Four

Elena wakes up. She’s sure she’s awake because this time things aren’t blurry. There are also hospital monitors beeping and she never dreams about them. Although as Elena looks around it doesn’t appear she’s in a hospital. She looks at the wires she’s attached to-they look like a fluid IV and heart rate monitor. She doesn’t think and pulls everything out of her arm.

Elena is only mildly surprised to see that her arms are healed. She’s wearing a hospital gown, but there’s a robe hanging on the back of the door to what she hopes is a bathroom. She gets up slowly surprised by how weak she still feels and has just placed the robe on when the door bursts open and Klaus storms in. 

Klaus looks surprised to find he bed empty, and somewhat equally surprised to find her in the innocent act of standing in the bathroom door. 

“Well you’re awake,” Klaus sits down in one of the chairs near the bed and pulls out a phone. “I guess this means you’ll live.”

“What happened?” Elena can’t help but ask. This is not what she had wanted to wake up to. This is not what she had thought she’d wake up to.

“I won. What did you think would happen? “Klaus seems amused. Elena guessed he was smug too.  
Stefan walks into the room, but little emotion shows in his eyes or posture. Stefan stands behind Klaus and examines Elena. Looks like they’re best friends again.

“How long?” Elena expects to hear it’s been a few days, and that she’s now a human blood bag.

“Two months. You kept trying to die,” Stefan tells her this little emotion. It’s like he’s reciting facts out of a report. “Esther cast a spell or something; we couldn’t give you vampire blood to heal. It’s warned off now, but you still wouldn’t wake.”

“I killed her. I killed Alaric. You should thank me,” Klaus is just as emotionless only he seems to be goading her as always. “You’re safe.”

Elena snorts. In a room with two killers who want her blood she feels anything but safe. She feels anything but thankful. Dreaming of dying was less painful than this reality. She is sad to hear of Alaric’s death. 

“Thank you for saving me from Esther and Alaric,” If Elena is Klaus prisoner it’s better to be on his good side. Stefan’s face takes on a distinctly uncomfortable expression at her words. 

“Oh no love, I didn’t save you. Your life pales in comparison to my own,” Klaus is matter of fact about where her life fits in the scheme of things. “Tell her Stefan.”

“Damon saved you.” Stefan looks like he may choke on these words. He refuses to look at Elena. Momentarily Elena can see emotion fill his eyes again, before a shield slams down and there is just empty indifference once again. 

Elena should have known. She knows she dreamed about him, and that it was real. She knows she was happy in the dream, but at the moment the details elude her. It’s been two months since she and Damon talked in her dream. Two months with Klaus. Damon would never let Klaus keep her; he had to be on their heels causing trouble.

“Don’t kill him,” Elena pleads to Klaus. “Please.”

“It’s hard to kill someone who’s already dead,” Klaus doesn’t look sorry. His eyes twinkle as he examines the effect his words have on her. “Alaric killed him when he tried to avenge you. Everyone was sure you were going to die. Damon was most upset.”

Elena doesn’t understand. What Klaus is saying can’t be true. But Elena can see the truth of it in Stefan who continues to refuse to look at her. Who is radiating anger, before he looks up at Klaus and leaves the room at vampire speed. 

“Go away,” Elena tells Klaus softly as she sinks into another chair. “Just go away.”

Klaus stands and walks over to her. He is surprisingly gentle as he grabs her chin and tilts her head up to look her in the eye.

“I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to get you and keep you alive,” Klaus speaks softly. Elena knows he’s not wrong. “Jeremy and the rest of your friends are still alive. Try to escape by any means and they won’t be.”

“I understand. Please just go.”

Elena is left in silence. Elena wonders why she woke up. Hours go by and she sits there numb. She remembers how sure she had been she was going to die. She remembers how badly she had wanted to live. This wasn’t what she had wanted to live for.

Hours later she can tell it’s getting dark. The door opens and a woman walks in carrying a tray of food. She sets it down on a table and looks at Elena.

“My name is Elizabeth. I was the nurse who’s been caring for you. Now that you’re awake that won’t be necessary. I’ll just do a brief exam and be on my way. Make sure you eat to keep your strength up. Mild foods for now. There are clothes in the dresser and closet for you to change into now that you’re awake.”

Elizabeth conducts her brief exam without further comment. She leaves as soon as she has finished. Elena is fine. 

Elena eats her meal in silence. She doesn’t feel like eating, but she does reminding herself that she has to. After eating she showers and changes in pajamas. She feels exhausted even after such a brief day and so she sleeps.

Days go by in this pattern. Elizabeth doesn’t come back, but another girl brings her food. It’s clear she’s a hybrid. Once Stefan brings her food, but he can’t even look at her. He doesn’t speak. Elena spends most of her time in a window seat looking at a garden. She very carefully doesn’t think of anything at all.

Elena isn’t really sure how many days or weeks have gone by when Klaus storms into her room. She hasn’t given blood since she woke up and wonders if that’s what he’s here for. The nurse Elizabeth follows at his heals and so is another woman Elena isn’t familiar with.

“Fix her,” Klaus commands.

“Fix what?” Elizabeth asks as she starts poking and prodding at Elena. “There’s nothing physically wrong with her. I guess she could exercise more, but otherwise she’s fine.”

Elena doesn’t feel fine. Elena just feels empty. She hasn’t said a word, and she only watches Klaus out of half remembered fear. Although the honest truth is she’s safest here than she has been in years. 

Klaus gestures at the other woman. “Check her for compulsion or a spell. Elizabeth get Stefan.”

Elena decides the other woman must be a witch. The witch finds no traces of compulsion or a spell. Elena is not compelled. Elena is just not sure what she’s supposed to care about now. The door bangs open and Stefan stalks in. He gives her a dismissive glance and goes to Klaus.

“She seems fine to me,” Stefan states. “A personality change doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong.”

For just a second Elena feels a nearly overwhelming urge to snap at Stefan that he would know. To challenge Stefan about what he was doing here with Klaus. But then Elena knows-Damon had gotten killed and Klaus was all that was left for both of them.

“She’s not compelled Stefan. Tell me you’re not surprised she hasn’t tried to escape or kill us all in our sleep. She’s a Petrova! They have fire not this listlessness. She’s not fun like this Stefan.”

At this Stefan starts to look concerned. The same feeling rises in Elena. A bored Klaus tended to be a creative Klaus, and what was fun to Klaus tended to be very painful to those caught up in it. Elena thinks for the first time of escape, and remembers that Jeremy is alive only so long as she is here.

“Send her away,” Stefan advises. “Why let her ruin your home? Rebekah will come back if she’s gone. Send her to college or to be a hermit. It’s not like you can’t get your blood.”

Elena is shocked. Actually, to be more correct she’s deeply shocked. She had assumed she’d be stuck in this house forever. After all, Klaus had basically proven he would win if only be default. Elena almost speaks up to say what she wants, but remembers that Klaus has never cared what she wanted. Klaus however, seems to like making Stefan happy.

“She’ll get killed within a week,” Klaus returns. “She’ll find trouble before we can get a mile out of town.”

“She got Damon killed Klaus. I don’t want her here. You can protect her from a distance. You’ve graphically demonstrated what you’ll do to anyone who gets in your way. Send her away.”

It would hurt to know how much Stefan doesn’t want her around. But Stefan and Damon had been closer in those last days than in years. The Petrova women had always destroyed their relationship. In the end she was no better than Katherine, and she hadn’t even had to choose to break them apart.

Klaus looks speculative. He stalks to Elena who stands to face him.

“Well, maybe not all is lost,” Klaus murmurs. “You’ll take my blood if you go. If you were to do something stupid, or someone else were to kill you I’d want you to wake to my extreme displeasure. We’ll discuss this further Stefan. I’d think you’d want to hold onto your past.”

They leave and Elena sits. Elena thought that this was it, she was going to die sitting in this room, and her story had ended. Elena is surprised to realize that this isn’t the case. She’s not in love with a vampire anymore. Well, that’s a lie because if she were honest with herself she’s spent weeks sitting in a window mourning the vampires she’d loved. Stefan, Damon and in the end Alaric. Now Elena turned away from the past and looked toward an unexpected normal future.


	5. Chapter Five

Normal is exactly what her future is. There are two hybrids in her Wisconsin college town put there by Klaus. They kill every supernatural thing that sets foot within the town with extreme violence. Elena gives blood quarterly to the same hybrids. She never sees Klaus and she never sees Stefan.

Stefan does leave her with one last parting gift-he signs her up for a major in creative writing. A small note he leaves her states she has plenty of personal experience to draw on ad that Klaus can’t risk her deciding to be a war correspondent or something. 

Elena spends the first few years of college living as a normal girl. She goes to class and study group. She even tries to date a few times, but it never makes it past the first date as she’s not willing to get into it. She’s not willing to answer even basic questions about her family and her past and she realizes early on that she doesn’t want to continue her bloodline.

In all her fiction classes she writes stories about Mystic Falls which she re-names Fells Church. The stories aren’t about her. She writes about a town council who fears monsters in the dark. Her story ends with the monsters moving to town. She writes about Caroline and Bonnie, but it turns out there are holes in those stories, a gap where another girl should be. Elena tried to leave Stefan and Damon out as well. And the truth is she has to write about it all. So she starts again, the stories are still not about her, but she’s there. So are Stefan and Damon.

It’s not until the first summer when Elena tries to write her story and finds she can’t. Well, what would be more accurate is that she can’t write the end. By the start of her junior year she’s tried nine times. Nine different endings to her story in every permutation she can think of and none of them work. Elena is frustrated to tears over the whole issue and decides at long last to put Mystic Falls behind her. 

It’s the start of her junior year when things fall apart. It actually starts on her 20th birthday. It’s not anything big-Elena is going to the back to school party her dorm is throwing , which in retrospect was a bad idea. Anyway, Elena is dancing away when some guy grabs her arm and starts dragging her off the floor.

“Katherine we have to go. There are hybrids here, and they’re loaded for vamp,” The guy in question is human, but his words make Elena’s blood run cold. 

Elena grabs the guy and pulls his head down closer to her level so she doesn’t have to shout, while grabbing his hand and putting it on her pulse.

“I’m not Katherine,” Elena tells up. He looks shocked. She guessed Katherine’s human Doppelganger had never come up. 

“Elena?”

Or maybe she had. Now Elena looks shocked and she can see the hybrids searching for her. One has located her and is heading right for her.

“Do you love Katherine?” Elena tries not to roll her eyes at the way his eyes light up when he says yes. “Get her out of here and whatever you do, **do not** mention me. Don’t even think about me.”

Elena heads the hybrids off and pretends to be sick. While she’s letting them carry her back to her room she determines they don’t know Katherine was in town. They were just looking for a vampire they had picked up on. Why Elena cares that she saved Katherine she’ll never know.

That night Elena starts dreaming about Mystic Falls. At first all Elena remembers when she wakes up is that she was back in Mystic Falls. This makes Elena uncomfortable because she’s spent three years of her life now trying to recover from her time in Mystic Falls. Elena never really wakes up afraid though, just frustrated because she can’t remember what else she’s dreaming about. She starts a journal for the first time since she’s left Mystic Falls.

A month later she’s coming out of one of her classes when she sees the guy who thought she was Katherine. It’s clear he’s waiting for her. Elena wants nothing to do with Katherine, and so she keeps walking. He follows.

“Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” The guy is good looking. He would have to be to get Katherine’s attention. Elena is not at all surprised to see he has green eyes. Katherine lied about a lot, but she had loved Stefan or at least the color of his eyes. 

“You shouldn’t be here. You’ll get her killed. You’ll get killed.”

“Just one cup of coffee?”

Elena relents. Because really what did this guy want with her? Another boy who thought she was Katherine with a pulse? She’d be happy to prove him wrong.

“So you are Elena right? From Mystic Falls?” The guy asks once they are seated with coffee. They’re outside and the wind blowing off the lake is cool and sitting outside in late October is probably not wise. “I’m Jake.”

“Katherine told you about me?” Elena asks as she blows into her coffee cup.

“Jeremy talks about you a lot. Sometimes Caroline. But never around the vampires,” Jake replies. Elena drops her coffee cup.

“Jeremy? Katherine is in Mystic Falls?” Elena wants to scream. Jeremy is supposed to be safe.

“Yeah, with Stefan. And the rest of them. Klaus promised to never come back to Mystic Falls if Stefan would come hang out sometimes,” Jake doesn’t seem to realize he’s destroying her world. She forgets about the coffee that she had just absently picked up again and concentrates on breathing. “They all think you’re dead.”

Stefan and Klaus lied to them. Stefan knew she was alive. It explained why no one tried to rescue her, or even contact her. It wasn’t that she made them all loose too much, it was that they thought she was another person they’d lost.

“Is Jeremy ok?” Elena asks softly. She would never ask Klaus.

“He wouldn’t dare not to be,” Jeremy answers. “Everyone protects Jeremy. It’s like they can’t get over that they failed with you.”

Elena can’t speak. Elena doesn’t understand. She’s known years of peace and five minutes with someone from Mystic Falls and she feels like she’d been bleeding out yesterday. She finds herself rubbing her arms with Jake watching her.

“Why are you here?” Elena finally asks.

“Because you look like Katherine, but mostly because you’re the Mystic Falls legend. Everyone talks about Elena Gilbert behind her family and friends backs. Jeremy talks about his sister like you’re the best thing ever. The rest of them don’t talk at all unless they’re drunk. Katherine hates you.”

“I’m not Katherine.”

“No, you’re the girl who destroyed Mystic Falls and hearts of everyone in it.”

She’s worse than Katherine.

“I’m not Katherine. And Klaus will destroy Mystic Falls and kill anyone who finds out I’m still alive. They are the only family I have left. Jake you can’t tell them you know I’m alive.”

“You’re exactly like he says,” Jake seems surprised. “Thinking about everyone else but not you.”

“I am thinking about me,” Elena answers. “I don’t want to see them die. Goodbye Jake.”

Elena stands and walks away. She leaves her coffee on the table. She goes right back to her dorm room, but she can’t really remember how she got there. She sits at her desk and just feels. Instead of the normal numb feeling her body feels hot and flushed. Elena remembers this feeling. Remembers it, and hates it. This is what it feels like to want to fight. In three years Elena has never wanted to run as much as she does right now. 

Elena knows now why she’s never been able to finish her story. Elena also knows what her ending will be now. Elena will be free. She starts writing, she starts plotting, she keeps dreaming.


	6. Chapter Six

Elena is in Mystic Falls again. She’s sitting at a table in the Grill. This isn’t new; this is in fact her most frequent dream about Mystic Falls. In her dreams there have always been people in the Grill, but usually it’s like she’s not there. Elena watches people from her past talk about their lives, and sometimes she watches her past. Elena knows her dreams aren’t true dreams because there are people who shouldn’t be in them. Perhaps it’s because Elena has started to plan her short term future, but she wishes she could talk to her friends, any of her friends, even the ones who are dead, but even when she screamed at them that one time, they’ve never noticed. Elena wasn’t sure why this dream was different, but it was. She spots someone who’s never been in these dreams before, and they see her back.

“I’ve always hoped you’d haunt my dreams,” a glass of bourbon hits the table as Damon takes his seat. For the first time in three years Elena’s brown eyes meet his ice blue ones. She can’t help her smile.

“You’d have to be alive for me to haunt, or I’d have to be dead.”

“And you’re not?”

“Not yet,” Elena answers. “You’d be proud Damon. I’m going to fight.”

“Not yet kind of sounds like you’re going to throw yourself on the fire again Elena. Don’t ask me to be happy about that.”

“Die to fight another day Damon. Sometimes you have to fight dirty. Someone taught me that.”

“Now you listen,” Damon rolls his eyes. “Dream Elena listens to me.”

“Take what you can get,” Elena advises. She studies this man in her dream, and wonders what he remembers. She reaches across the table and taps the glass of bourbon. “Back to drinking in the middle of the day?”

“It’s a thing. So why is dream Elena in Mystic Falls? Why haunt this place?”

“Where else would everyone be? I wish you wouldn’t call it haunting. I’m not dead, I’m just dreaming. I feel like you should listen to me.”

“I always listened to you. And you always make me dream of something I can’t have.”

Elena has to needle him, has to push. It doesn’t matter that it’s a dream, the fight is over. Elena has missed and she’s more than willing to admit it.

“If I were making you dream of something you couldn’t have wouldn’t I be in your bedroom?” Elena wants to hit herself. There’s a fine line in their teasing and she’s crossed it. She blushes red, and looks up only to find them in Damon’s bedroom. “Oh shit.”

Damon just throws his head back and laughs. Somehow he managed to hold onto his bourbon which he now sets down before stalking over to her. The movements are all predatory. Elena has been giving ground for years, this is not the place for her to choose to stand, but she does.

“Careful what you wish for Elena,” Damon is standing inside her bubble just out of contact, but Elena can feel it anyways. Elena wishes it didn’t feel so good. Contact with another person has been sorely missed. Cuddling with dream Damon sounds wonderful. 

“I don’t think I wished for enough,” Elena responds. She steps around him because there’s only so much temptation a girl can take. Also she doesn’t think the great Damon Salvatore would settle for hug when she brought them here. “In my last dream I just wanted to live.”

“Yeah, but that didn’t really work out for you,” Damon tells her. He can’t not touch her. He doesn’t care that it’s a dream. His arms wrap around her and he clings to her like he’s missed her as much as she’s missed him. 

“This is such an odd dream,” Elena replies. She doesn’t pull away. She ran from real Damon until it was too late. Now he could never catch her. So she can’t run from him in dreams. “What do you think would have happened?”

“You’re the writer. I just dream. You’re the only one who knew what the future might bring. It was always your story Elena.”

“I wish,” Elena sighs. “I think if it were my story things might have made more sense. So many things just happened.”

“You’re deluded if you think you weren’t doing it your way,” Damon tells her. “No one made choices like you did. We’d try but you were determined to die for Klaus.”

“You still saved me. All of you. Despite my best efforts.”

“You’d have figured it out Elena. So what would you have done if you escaped?”

Elena steps away. Wanders over to the glass of bourbon and considers drinking it, but decides against it. 

“I haven’t figured it out. I’ve tried nine times to write it Damon. Nine, and none of them work.”

“Because you’re still lying to yourself. I’m not saying you have all the answers Elena. No one really expected you to come out of that building and know your future.”

Elena gets mad. It’s a new feeling, but not around him.

“But you all wanted me to. You and Stefan, so sure I was going to pick one of you.”

“Stefan may have wanted you to pick. I just wanted you to be honest,” Damon has returned to her side and picked up the bourbon and now he finishes it. “No one can make you do anything Elena. I should know, I’ve tried. Stefan and I weren’t going anywhere.”

“I’m not Katherine,” Elena snarls. “I don’t love you both.”

“You’re not Katherine,” Damon agrees but he’s back in her personal space. “But you can love us both Elena. We just didn’t want you to be in love with us both.”

“I told you then I didn’t know,” Elena would step away, but Damon looks at her in warning. No more running in her dreams. “How was I supposed to know?”

“Elena, the irony here is comic,” Damon makes eye contact and it’s so familiar. “You have to let yourself feel.”

“I felt too much,” Elena confesses and three years of emptiness are filled with a rush. “It was just too much Damon. I wanted to live to understand it all.”

“Well I’m sorry you didn’t get the chance. How do you think it felt saying goodbye to you in a dream and saving you? You gave me hope Elena! Then you died.”

Dream Damon was very insistent on her death, but since he was a dream and dead to her she wondered briefly just how messed up her head was.

“I told you I loved you and I woke up alone,” Elena feels her eyes fill with tears and they make her angry. “I stopped running and it didn’t matter anymore.”

“And you say you can’t write the end? What did you think was going to happen?” 

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Elena doesn’t lie about that. “I don’t want the life I have now Damon. I want my family back, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“So you won’t be alone anymore?”

“So that I can be who am. This is not who I am Damon. I have to finish my life Damon, it didn’t end with me waking up alone. I have to move on.”

Damon now looks pissed. Actually, he looks enraged.

“I swear if this is some spell by Witchy and Vampire Barbie I’ll kill someone,” Damon tells her. “Don’t tell me to move on.”

Elena is confused now. Because she’s pretty sure she was the one moving on. She has plans to escape Klaus and go back to Mystic Falls. Dream Damon should be happy; he’d always wanted her to fight.

“You’re not the one moving on,” Elena reassures him. “I wouldn’t tell you to do that.”

“That’s all anyone wants me to do is move on. It’s always let go of Elena , Damon. She belongs with Stefan. Now you’re just gone.”

“When have you listened to anyone else?”

“So you’re not telling me to move on and forget you?” Damon is back by her side in a flash. “Why am I dreaming about you?”

“I’m dreaming about you,” Elena corrects him and she intertwines her hand with his. “I’m actually asking myself what would Damon do? Thankfully, I’m not reduced to drinking bourbon and sleeping with co-eds.”

“And what does my inner self tell you to do to get away from Klaus?”

“I already told you Damon,” Elena looks at their linked hands. She isn’t sure how she’s going to do this without Damon. “Die to live.”

“Don’t be crazy Elena, the only way you could do that is to become a vampire,” Damon untwists his hand from her. He looks up into her eyes and his body goes rigid.

“Like I said, what would Damon do?” Elena can meet his eyes. She’s pretty sure this is another one of her flawed plans, but she wants her family, she wants to stop the hybrids, and she wants to be free. Katherine had established that a vampire doppelganger was useless. She smiles at Damon as he intertwines his hand with hers again and whispers the one thing that’s haunting her. “I don’t want to kill anyone.”

Damon can’t help it, to picture Elena as a vampire is almost everything he ever wanted. He can feel his eyes darken as he looks her over and pulls her flush to him. It’s like everything they both remember an irresistible pull to be together. 

“I would give anything to see you as a vampire,” Damon’s voice is intense, he can feel Elena shaking in his arms. She’s going to do it alone, and that breaks his heart. This was not how she was supposed to turn. Damon wishes this was real and that she would have come to him to help.

“What will I remember as a vampire Damon? Did you compel me?” Elena isn’t sure if dream Damon will know, but he knows everything else. Besides at this point Elena will find out one way or the other.

“Nothing,” Damon answers. “You know it all Elena. It’s more a question of what you’ll let yourself feel.”

“I’m sorry,” Elena tells him. She rises up on her tip toes and kisses him softly. “I couldn’t tell you then what I could tell you now.”

The dream ends, and Elena wakes up.


	7. Chapter Seven

Elena starts becoming reckless. Apparently Klaus has never been warned about college drinking. She starts hanging out with people who party. She pretends to drink too. She’s waiting for her opportunity but she has to be patient. Right now if she gets herself killed she’ll just be dead. If she waits she’ll be in transition.

When the hybrids come to collect her blood they bring her some of Klaus’s. It’s stupid because that’s the only time she drinks it and it lasts a day or two. After that she’s out of luck. Elena figures it’s mostly symbolic that she continues to do what Klaus wants her to do. Elena has always wanted to refuse because blood tastes disgusting, this time she has to be careful not to look eager to drink the blood. Elena swallows it down with a grimace and watches the hybrids leave with the last of the blood Klaus will get from her. 

Once they’re gone Elena heads out to a party. It’s in a location too good to be true, and too stupid to be believed. Whoever thought holding a drinking party on a bluff was a good idea was mistaken. It is where Elena is going to die. 

Elena starts to drink when she gets to the party. Normally she fakes it, but tonight was going to be hard enough. Elena had pretended to be sneaking out, but she knew the hybrid who hadn’t gone to deliver the blood had followed her. She’d been pretending to drink for weeks and discovered that the hybrids only watched for physical threats, they didn’t worry about environmental ones. Elena steered the drinking friends she’s made over to the bluff and is grateful none of them knew her from before or they would never have fallen for this. 

This plan is not without its risks. Elena is assuming Klaus will not kill her for being clumsy and going into transition. Klaus could try and kill Jeremy, but she felt like there was no point. Klaus didn’t really need her blood, he just wanted it. Elena hopes he’ll be tolerant enough to let her live and let her go. Depending on Klaus’s goodwill was a major flaw in her plan. Elena hops desperately that this this turns out better than her ideas 3 years ago. 

Elena drinks the night away, becoming more and more clumsy. She’s not acting. She’s also trying to start a fight with one of her friends. Elena has been standing dangerously close to the edge of the bluff all night. She’s just waiting, when she finally makes her friend mad enough that he lunges for her she scrambles back without thinking and then she’s falling.

The plummet into the water isn’t long enough for Elena to hear screams. It’s long enough for her to feel free. Elena isn’t sure if the impact kills her or something else. Everything just goes black.

Elena wakes up in her bed. Klaus is there holding a blood bag. It smells good. Elena feels drawn to it. She resists and looks at Klaus.

“What happened?” Elena knows that she was drunk and that she fell. She’s assuming she’s in transition because she’s never felt drawn to blood bags before.

“You died,” Klaus confirms and he doesn’t look happy about it. It’s then that Elena sees two hybrid bodies in the corner. “An accident Elena. You tried so hard to live and then you fell off a bluff.”

Klaus is watching her intently as if trying to see if that were true or not. It was a staged accident. Elena prays Klaus doesn’t figure it out. Klaus begins to look angrier. 

“Careless girl,” Klaus is angry judging by the tone of his voice. “Well, I warned you what would happen. You’re useless to be now.”

Elena sits perfectly still. He had warned her. She prayed he would take it out on her and not on Jeremy, or anyone left in Mystic Falls.

“Klaus I’m sorry,” when in doubt plead. Klaus likes fear. “Please don’t.” 

“Oh no Elena, you’ll pay,” Klaus promises her. He comes forward suddenly and yanks her out of bed by her hair. She’s kneeling on the floor and he’s pulling her head up.

Klaus is strong and Elena feels like a rag doll, and this hurts. She can feel what’s left of her pulse beating rapidly. She struggles briefly to try and get away from Klaus, but she can’t. 

“Don’t please,” Elena continues pleading although at this point she’s not sure what she’s pleading with him not to do.

“Stefan thinks it’s very noble how you don’t want to be a vampire. Don’t want to kill people,” Klaus has her head in one hand and the blood bag in the other. He’s holding it in front of her and she can’t take her eyes off of it. “I don’t think he knows you as well as he thinks he does, but we’ll see. I hope there’s a sire bond Elena.”

With that Klaus rips into the bag and shoves it in her face. He releases her hair only to force her jaw open and now she’s choking on blood. It runs all own her front but she swallows a good bit of it. Just like that she’s a vampire. 

Klaus lets her go and tosses two more blood bags at her. Elena has never felt this hungry. She’s drinking one before she knows what she’s doing. Cold blood doesn’t taste wonderful and it’s not really what she wants. She’s listening for something, but she’s not sure what. Then she knows, she’s listening for heartbeats-her subconscious is looking for someone to hunt. She drops the now empty blood bag and looks at Klaus. 

“You’re not a ripper,” only Klaus could sound that disappointed. “Keep drinking Elena you need to be a strong vampire. It’s what you want.”

Elena is alarmed and she watches Klaus warily as she picks up the second blood bag. She is hesitant though because she can hear heartbeats which mean warm blood and wouldn’t that make her stronger? 

“Please don’t let me kill anyone,” Elena should know better than to plead for this from Klaus who views humans as purely disposable. 

“I’m not going to make you kill anyone. Finish your blood.”

Elena drinks the second bag down. She can hear so much more, and smell so much more. Cold blood continues to not be as interesting to her as the warm blood she can feel outside. Elena reminds herself she doesn’t want to kill people. She wants to be free. She is bolting for the door and flinging it open and her world is pain. Burning pain. She slams the door and stumbles back.

“No sunlight for you,” Klaus informs her with a mocking smile. 

Elena steps back and turns on Klaus. She had forgotten about the sunlight. She can still hear the tempting heartbeats, but she holds herself back out of survival. She walks around Klaus to where the shadows are deeper. 

“What now?” Elena asks. This could be the end, she gets the sense that Klaus is just playing with her. Elena isn’t sure if Klaus allowing her to turn is a good sign. 

“If I told you I wanted you to go out and kill everyone at that party who didn’t stop you from falling over that bluff would you do it? Do you want to make them pay?”

“No,” Elena answers. She’s sure it makes sense to Klaus, but she doesn’t want to kill people.

“Not sired then,” Klaus looks more disappointed about this than the ripper situation. “Elena you constantly disappoint me.”

“I’m not impressed with you either,” it slips out before Elena can stop herself. She’s been frustrated with Klaus since before she knew him. She’s got heightened feelings now, and they may have just gotten her killed. 

Klaus flashes to her side until he is holding her right in front of him.

“Oh Elena, the Petrova fire at last. Always comes out at the most inconvenient of times,” Klaus is looking her in the eyes with a grin. “Careful Elena, you’re one of the monsters now.”

“The monster you made,” Elena returns leaning back briefly to test his grip. She’s not surprised to find she can’t escape.

“I don’t want you Elena,” Klaus informs her. “I have my family, and they won’t tolerate you.”

“So you’re going to kill me?” Elena asks. She’s been a vampire for a few minutes and she can tell how hard it’s going to be. Still, she didn’t do this to die she meets Klaus’ eyes and instantly regrets it as she watches the pupil’s contract.

“Did you fall off of the bluff?”

“Yes,” Elena answers. It’s true she fell. 

“Have you been planning this?” Klaus has always known her better than she wanted him to. “My little Doppelganger are you trying to play me?”

“Yes,” Elena answers and feels despair. She’s doomed herself. Klaus doesn’t want her and she confirmed that she betrayed him. This plan was another horrible idea, and people are going to die because of it. She stands there compelled in his arms and waits.

“You’ll never do anything to end your existence as a vampire. You will only drink human blood,” Klaus is leaving marks on her skin as he feels her start to try and pull away. Her fangs have come down and she can low snarls coming out of her throat. Klaus shakes her like a puppy and waits to meet her eyes again, his eyes are alight in unholy glee. “You will never go back to Mystic Falls.”

Elena is released and she collapses into the nearest chair. She can already feel tears forming. 

“When will you stop ruining my life?”

“Your life is mine Elena. It always has been,” Klaus tells her. “I have to say you never do things the easy way. I almost believed you Elena.”

Klaus is kneeling down on the floor now, tilting her chin up so that they are eye to eye again. 

“What gave me away?” Elena asks softly. She moves her head out of his grasp but otherwise remains still. “I never wanted to be a vampire.”

“Darling you should stop lying to yourself,” Klaus smirks. “I knew because you’re a Petrova. I’d be a fool to trust a Petrova. Tatia lied about love, Katherine lies to everyone, and you lie to yourself. An unholy trio.”

“What now?” Being with Klaus is exhausting. She still can’t tell if he will let her go, but the damage he’s done already makes her plan seem stupid. Now she’s trapped as a monster without the only support system she had. 

“Now you’re a vampire. Do what you want. I’ll let you know when I want something, and you’ll do it. You’ll drink human blood and you’ll never go to Mystic Falls. I fail to see how I’m not still winning.”

“That’s it?” Elena asks to be sure.

“One more thing,” Klaus is compelling her again. “You’ll never turn your switch off.”

Klaus stands and moves towards the door flinging it open and standing in the sunlight. Elena is in the deepest darkest corner trying to make herself small. 

“Try lying to yourself with the switch on Elena. I’m not doing you any favors. I’m not killing you, and I’m not letting you go home to friends and family. Which is actually another favor because they’d hate you like this.”

“Just stopping me from going to Mystic Falls isn’t going to keep me away from my friends,” Elena wishes she could shut herself up.

“Oh Elena, call them if you must, but they won’t love you like this. They thought you were dead, and this is going to be so much worse.”

“Thank you,” Elena is at least alive, and it doesn’t appear Klaus is going to kill her friends and family.

“I’ll find you if I need you, and you’ll do whatever I tell you to. You do what I say and everyone lives no sire bond, no compulsion, you’ll just do it. That’s the price.”  
It’s always been Klaus’s price. But he’s gone and the door is open. Sunlight streams in and Elena is trapped. Trapped and hungry and waiting for the sun to set. Heartbeats pound through her ears like bells on a big clock. They are counting the hours until she is a predator and the world her prey. Elena waits and tries to hold onto her desire not to kill.


	8. Chapter Eight

Elena’s sheer stubbornness wins and she doesn’t kill anyone, but she maims a lot of someone’s. Animal attacks are way up in Wisconsin. Klaus has left her without a daylight ring, but that is no matter, Elena is not staying in Wisconsin. She’ll defy Klaus one way or another if she can’t go to Mystic Falls she’ll get the people she wants to come to her. She travels by bus at night to Virginia at which point she compels her way into a motel a few towns over from Mystic Falls. Elena knows she needs to learn how to break into blood banks and fast, animal attacks in this part of the world will be noticed quickly. Sadly, Elena has figured out two things no one has written and posted a handy guide to robbing a blood bank on the internet and secondly, after sunset no one leaves human blood bags lying around. 

Arriving in Virginia is only part of the problem. Elena knows she can’t go to Mystic Falls due to Klaus’s compulsion and she’s surprised to find out that even being in the state makes her feel uncomfortable. Elena can’t blame it all on compulsion though she forces herself to admit she’s tense about an upcoming family reunion, and afraid that Klaus might be right and they’ll turn on her. 

Without a daylight ring, or any real idea of how to rob a blood vault Elena is unsuccessful at weaning herself off live humans. She mains a man’s arm pretty badly at a club one night, but to be fair to her he had been grabby and trying to drag her out back. It makes the news however, and Elena realizes that the council may investigate this. It’s awfully close to Mystic Falls and with Damon and Alaric both dead it’s hard to say how vigilant they are. On the other hand, there’s a possibility that Jeremy has joined the council to take Alaric’s place or Caroline and that could work in her favor. Elena plans for both eventualities although if they come in the day she has no escape. 

The problem is that after two weeks no one has come, and Elena has figured out catch and release all on her own. She’s even gotten compulsion down. Elena has also discovered that all the old phone number she remembered are not valid. At this point she may be reduced to writing a letter to her old address and hoping that it gets to Jeremy and he takes it seriously. Elena has even considered staking out the mall in the next town over and hoping Caroline still likes to shop, but Caroline has a daylight ring and would do it during the day. For all Elena knows, Caroline could have left Mystic Falls. The whole situation is very frustrating and Elena reminds herself that she really needs to think these things through better. 

As a last desperate attempt to contact someone from her old life Elena tries to get into Jeremy’s dreams. However, it doesn’t work perhaps because he’s on vervain or perhaps because she’s doing it wrong. It’s not like Elena got lessons on how to be a vampire. What does happen is that for the first time since becoming a vampire Elena starts dreaming those same dreams about Mystic Falls again. This time the dreams focus on her past one Stefan moved to town, it’s interesting and at times intensely painful. 

Not long after the dreams about Mystic Falls start again Elena sees Damon. However, this time instead of being in the Grill she finds herself standing inside the cemetery outside of the Salvatore crypt. There are no telltale heartbeats which doesn’t surprise Elena at all. Everyone here is dead after all and usually people don’t spend time hanging around graveyards. Well, unless those people are Buffy or Elena after the death of her parents. Elena is startled therefore when the door to the crypt opens and Damon walks out. 

“Damon,” Elena breaths out softly. She’s surprised to see him here. He appears to be sober and given that Elena assumes his family is buried here Elena can’t imagine why he’d have happy memories. “Why am I dreaming about you again?”

“I’ve always been special,” Damon returns although he seems equally startled to see her. “Revel in it, we get to pretend like the past never happened. Or we’re both dead.”

“We are now,” Elena confirms. Being a vampire is totally dead. “I think you’re a bit more permanent than I am.”

“I liked our last dream venue more,” Damon challenges as he steps closer. “Want to change locations again?”

“I really don’t think I need to keep dreaming about your bedroom,” Elena snaps back. “You remember my last dream?”

“I’m a vampire I remember everything,” Damon answers. This reminds Elena of a few memories of her own and she’s punching Damon in the arm before he can continue. She puts some of her vampire strength behind it and he even stumbles a bit. 

“You compelled me!” Elena has been furious about this for weeks, but she couldn’t take out her anger on a vampire who was already dead. “You know how I feel about compulsion!”

“You’re a vampire,” Damon is shocked. Clearly he remembered the last dream so why he’s surprised Elena isn’t sure. “How did this happen?”

“I got drunk and fell off a bluff. So clumsy of me,” Elena works hard to keep a straight face. It’s a challenge because she’s made stupid mistakes and almost gotten killed in the past. It’s important to her that Damon realizes she got killed on purpose.

“This can’t be happening,” Damon is suddenly gripping her arms tightly now holding her still in front of him. This is very similar to how Klaus was holding her when she was compelled and she’s already sick of it. “I can’t know you as a vampire.”

“Well but I can know you because it’s my dream. Now let go of me,” Elena would imagine them in sunlight but the only one of them that would affect was her. She didn’t want to know what the consequences of burning up in her dream would be. Damon lets her pull away from him. “You’re not supposed to be upset.”

“You fell off a bluff while drunk on purpose. Remind me why I’m not supposed to be upset? Also there’s something wrong.”

“Wrong how?” Elena moves further away. Dream Damon is agitated and if he’s like real Damon it’s better to be further away. Agitated Damon has never ended well. 

“You shouldn’t be a vampire. You shouldn’t remember dreams,” Damon tells her. “One of us is dead and shouldn’t be having interactive dreams at all.”

“You’re dead, I’m dreaming,” Elena confirms. “Although technically, I’m dead too.”

“This is like a bad comedy sketch,” Damon hisses. “You’re dead. You died of blood loss.”

“You died being a stupid ass,” Elena is deeply unhappy about this and less likely to keep her temper. “Stefan had to go back to Klaus.”

“Stefan told me you died of blood loss,” Damon has stopped fidgeting and is watching her intently. “I never saw a body.”

“Alaric killed you,” Elena cries. “I was all alone when I woke up.”

“I don’t understand,” Damon repeats. “There is no way that this can be happening unless we’re both alive. No matter how much I want to I can’t dream of you as a vampire.” 

“I just don’t see how you could be alive. Stefan was so upset. Stefan would not let Klaus keep me, and he wouldn’t lie about you being dead.” Elena is adamant about both points although as she speaks she feels uncertain.

“Stefan would totally lie if it meant I would stop going after Klaus. Klaus was very clear that you were his doppelganger and you were going with him.”

“Stefan would do anything to keep you safe,” Elena mumbles. “Jake told me everyone in Mystic Falls thought I was dead.”

“If you weren’t dead no one would stop looking for you. Klaus would have had to kill us all,” Damon seems to be regressing into deep thought or perhaps a quite murderous rage. “And who the hell is Jake? Wait, Katherine’s Jake? When did he talk to you?”

“He thought I was Katherine once. Tried to rescue me from the hybrids on guard,” Elena answers. Elena can’t believe this is happening and is mostly answering an automatic and trying to figure out if her subconscious is just telling her what she wants to hear. If it is true Elena is impressed with Stefan’s acting. He had seemed so upset and angry with her, and she would never think he’d lie about Damon’s death. “He came back once to talk to me. I told him to stop putting Jeremy in danger.”

“He never said anything,” Damon seems amazed that a human could keep this secret. “Never indicated that he knew you were alive.”

The problem with being a new vampire is that Elena often finds her focus pulled from one issue to another at the littlest of prompting.

“Why is Katherine in Mystic Falls?” Elena growls suddenly. “Near my brother.”

“Because it’s safe from Klaus thanks to Stefan,” Damon clearly still holds a lot of anger towards Klaus, and now a lot of anger towards Stefan. 

“I can’t come back to Mystic Falls,” Elena tells Damon. This dream if it’s real is actually killing a lot of birds with one stone. Elena has found out the last three years have been an elaborate lie, and managed to let someone in Mystic Falls know she’s not as dead as previously believed. 

“Elena you have to come back to Mystic Falls,” Damon orders. “Jeremy will want to see you.”

Yeah, like Elena believed for one second that Damon was more concerned with how Jeremy wanted to see her. 

“I can’t,” Elena repeats. “Klaus must have known Stefan lied. He compelled me to stay away.”

“Of course Klaus knew. Stefan had to clear his diabolical plan with someone. They both think they’re hilarious.”

“Why do I feel like you’re not telling me something?” Elena is wary as she approaches Damon. The amount of eye rolling and hand waving has indicated that Damon is upset. It’s not that she doesn’t think that he has cause, but there has to be another shoe to drop. “Why not leave Mystic Falls and bring Jeremy to where I am?”

“I can send Jeremy and Vampire Barbie to you,” Damon confirms. “But you know Klaus hated me, and body or no body he’d gotten you killed.”

“Damon no, please tell me you weren’t still plotting to kill him. Did Stefan know?”

“Who do you think warned him? Elena if this is your dream can’t I at least get something to drink?”

“I think this is our dream Damon. Stop trying to change the subject, what happened?”

“Klaus compelled me. I can’t leave Mystic Falls.”

Elena wants to scream. The deck is always stacked against them. Not surprisingly this is just one more impossible situation she can’t do anything about thanks to Klaus. It’s a death sentence for Damon to stay in Mystic Falls where in a few years he’ll be revealed to be a vampire and killed.

“For how long?” Elena asks hoping that Klaus had been stupid enough to give Damon a way to escape, or maybe that this was just his version of a time out.

“Well, it used to be 60 years, but Klaus came back last week and changed it to indefinitely. He left with Stefan in a horrible mood. Guess now I know why.”

“He’s not supposed to be in Mystic Falls at all,” Elena objects. Elena knows exactly why he changed the compulsion. “I’ve been a vampire for a month.”

“And you made it to Virginia on your own?”

“Without killing anyone. It’s been hard. I don’t have a daylight ring. I don’t know how much longer I can stay in Virginia for.”

“Klaus has strong compulsion,” Damon agrees. He’s starting to look smug. “You’re stronger Elena. It’s unheard of for a baby vampire not to kill anyone.”

“Caroline only killed one person,” Elena reminds him. “Because she didn’t know what vampires were. She was very strong.”

“Caroline was used,” Damon corrected. “Katherine created her for a reason. It wasn’t a sire bond, but Caroline had things to do. Focus helps.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I’ll keep that in mind. What do we do now?”

“Kill Klaus. Hello, the plan never changed Elena. It’s not like locking me in Mystic Falls suddenly made me like the guy.”

“Great, kill Klaus kill us all. I’m sired by Klaus Damon. If you kill him you kill me.”

“Well when I say kill Klaus I mean permanently incapacitate him and hide him where he’ll never be found to bother us again. We have a plan we’ve been working on we’ll just move up the execution.”

“I hope your plan works better than mine,” Elena responds grumpily. Leave it to Damon. He’s had three years to plan revenge against Klaus and he wasn’t going to stop just because of a little compulsion.

“We’re going to have to talk about your plans Elena. Why didn’t you just call Jeremy? One phone call and we would have known you were alive.”

“He was alive, and that was all that mattered. I wasn’t going to put him at risk. Klaus would leave him alive if I stayed away.”

“So selfish Elena. Your plans always assume that what you want is better for everyone,” Damon’s eyes hold anger. “Three years of your life Elena. Jeremy missed his sister for three years.”

“At least you were all alive to miss me,” Elena hisses. “Killing Klaus or trying to kill Klaus has never ended well. Klaus let me live. What do you think he’s going to do to me and all of you if we start plotting to kill him again?”

“You’re assuming living in fear is better. You told me you died to live. Act like it. Come to Mystic Falls.”

“I can’t. You know I can’t,” Elena answers sadly. “Damon don’t ask the impossible.”

“Where are you?”

Elena provides the directions to where she is staying and she can tell Damon is already plotting. She interrupts him to ask her important question.

“How do you rob a blood bank? I’ve not had any luck at night.”

“Let’s not have you turn into a criminal mastermind yet,” Damon suggests smoothly. “Robbing a blood bank is like a teenage vampire task. Why don’t you drink animal blood?”

“Compulsion.”

“Stay where you are. Don’t attract attention to yourself. I’m sending your brother when I wake up. Don’t eat him.”

“Have him bring blood and it won’t be a problem.”

Elena abruptly wakes up. It’s still light out and there’s nowhere she can go. Elena wonders if she should hope her dream was real. It made sense; it actually made more sense than the idea that Damon was dead. Elena hated to let herself hope, but she would give it today and tonight. If Jeremy came Elena would know it was true and Damon was alive. And then she would kick Stefan’s ass.


	9. Chapter Nine

It’s nearing sunset and Elena has been pacing her room for hours. She has come to the realization she never actually gave Damon the name of where she was staying. She’s worried that Jeremy won’t be able to find her. Then what will she do? Then again, she had been a vampire for three weeks. How hard was it to find a baby vampire who had to feed? What’s worse was that due to all the pacing she was doing sometimes at supernatural vampire speed she was hungry. If Jeremy did find her he better have blood bags or she would have to leave to avoid hurting him. 

The sun sets and Elena flings open the door ready to go and hunt. Elena feels sorry for her prey this night she knows they’ll have some interesting scars. Elena makes it two steps out the door before something or rather someone slams into her and she finds herself back inside her hotel room pinned to a wall. She snarls at the intruder and is somewhat startled when they snarl back.

“Cut it out Elena,” Caroline’s displeased voice mixes with the sound of cracking plaster as Elena is pushed back up against the wall once more. Elena stills although she can tell she still has her vamp face on. 

“Caroline?” Elena questions relieved to see a friendly face for the first time in years. However her attention is pulled away suddenly and completely as a heartbeat enters the room. She can feel the blood pulsing a few short feet away. She holds herself in place as best she can and pleads to Caroline “Don’t let go.”

“Hungry Elena?” the heartbeat speaks. It’s a voice she knows well “I brought blood like he said, but I don’t know if I should give it to you. I mean you did pretend to be dead for three years.”

“Jeremy,” Caroline hisses. “She’ll rip out your throat; she’s already way too excited.”

“I haven’t killed anyone yet,” Elena objects. “But give me the blood bags because I’d really hate to start with you.”

Jeremy picks three blood bags out of a duffle slung over his shoulder. Elena goes still and tries to focus on those bags instead of his pulse which is much more interesting. The problem with hunting humans is that as a predator that’s what Elena wants to do. Seeing her blood delivered in neat little plastic bags is nowhere near as interesting or compelling to the predator in her. 

“I was told to give you three and see how you did,” Jeremy explains. He must have gotten smarter in the last few years because he passes the bags off to Caroline instead of getting closer. 

“I hope you’re a neat eater because this is a new dress,” Caroline opens the first bag and hands it to Elena. Elena manages not to rip it away from her and to drink it neatly. 

The predator in her definitely does not appreciate cold blood. It’s nowhere near as interesting as chasing people and feeling their blood pound in their veins in terror as she maims them for what she wants. Elena has discovered that being a vampire is just as disturbing as she thought it might be. She finishes the first bag and Caroline hands her the second while letting go of her tentatively and taking a small step back. 

“She seems to have good control,” Jeremy observes, but he remains by the door and makes no moves to come closer. 

“I don’t kill people, just leave them with scars,” Elena is trying to be reassuring to Jeremy because now that some of the blood lust has satiated she does in fact know who he is and because of all her heightened vampire emotions she’s very aware of how much she did miss him. Elena doesn’t want him to be afraid of her. Finishing the second blood bag she tries to move forward closer to Jeremy only to be stopped by Caroline again.

“Finish the third bag before you go to him,” Caroline orders handing it off to her. While Elena is no longer starving she’s already learned not pass up on blood. She starts to drink the third bag. It’s disgusting. It must be some rare blood type and Elena is never drinking it again. She finishes half of it and tries to hand it back.

“What is this?” Elena asks. “It’s awful.”

“Finish it,” Jeremy orders. His eyes are fixed on the half that is left. “You have to finish it.”

“I’m not going to eat you Jeremy. Really, two and a half bags is enough. This is nasty.”

“Jeremy is right,” Caroline has her resolve face on. “Baby vampires need to be well fed around humans. Finish it.”

Elena reluctantly goes back to drinking the rest of the blood. She tries to gulp down as much as she can without tasting it. She finishes and bolts into the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she comes out Caroline is excited and Jeremy is nowhere in sight, but she thinks she can hear him in the parking lot.

“I should hit you for not telling us you were alive Elena,” Caroline though clearly happy to see her is not happy with her. “We all thought you were dead. The whole point was to keep you alive.”

“I’m sorry?” Elena offers tentatively. It’s just that, well, she thought it would be easier for them without her. “How have you been Caroline?”

“Well, mostly fine. Things have been difficult with the council. It didn’t help when Damon thought you were dead and lost it. You owe me for that alone. Damon is worse than Stefan.”

“Did he tell you what happened?” Elena asks. She has already packed all her belongings and she’s ready to leave trying to indicate that to Caroline with her forward motions towards the door.

Further discussion and Elena’s forward progress are interrupted by Jeremy re-entering the room. Without comment he picks up Elena’s bags which are by the door. 

“Let’s go. No daylight ring means we need to keep moving,” Jeremy seems chipper and determined. Not just to get Elena out of here, but to stay away from Elena herself. Elena feels like she has a lot of apologizing to do.

“Where are we going?” Elena questions as she picks up her one other bag with her laptop and the book she’s started writing again and follows Jeremy out to Caroline’s car. “I can’t go to Mystic Falls.”

“Damon doesn’t think that’s true, and we think he may be right,” Caroline counters. “You’re the doppelganger Elena, you have to have some perks.”

“Klaus compelled Katherine,” Elena responds and just like that she’s distracted herself again. “Does Katherine know?”

“Damon almost killed Jake and so yes, Katherine knows. Stefan is gone with Klaus or I’m sure there would have been more trouble,” Jeremy looks grim. “Damon wouldn’t explain why he went after Jake and by the time we got him off Jake he wasn’t able to talk. What was that all about?”

“Please, you’re not stupid. Damon would only get that angry for one reason. Jake knew I was alive. He and Katherine were in Wisconsin once and he mistook me for her. He came back once to talk to me.”

“Well he never said anything about it to anyone.”

“No Jeremy. He seemed to like you all alive. I stressed to him that if he wanted to stay alive and he wanted all of you to stay alive he shouldn’t anger Klaus by letting you know I was alive.”

“How long did he know?”

“Four months. You should really thank him Jeremy. Talking to him made me realize I was being stupid. I wanted to live my life.”

“Yeah, I’ll get right on thanking him for making you want to be a vampire. You have the worst plans ever Elena!” They had started driving a while ago and Elena is grateful that Caroline is driving because not only is Jeremy shouting, but there are hand waves accompanying his shouting. 

“Well, four months is better than the entire time,” Caroline breaks in diplomatically, than her eyes darken. “Although Stefan is sure going to have some explaining to do.” 

“Stefan was trying to protect his brother,” Elena defends. Elena’s not sure why she’s defending Stefan because she knows if given half a chance she’d be smashing him into walls for lying no matter how much she understands it. 

“Don’t even get me started,” Jeremy warns turning around and thrusting a finger at her. “ **Do not!** You and Stefan can’t just keep making these choices for everyone around you.”

Elena decides and abrupt subject change is in order before she gets angry. It’s been three years since anyone argued with her outside a classroom. Arguing with a younger brother after becoming a vampire is a challenge that Elena doesn’t feel up to facing at the moment. It’s important for her not to go through extreme emotions. Really, since becoming a vampire Elena has a lot more sympathy for all vampires because she’s starting to discover just how hard it is not to kill people all the time.

“Why does Damon think I can come to Mystic Falls?”

“He thinks you just believe you’re compelled but that because you’re the Doppelganger sired by an Original you might not be normal,” Caroline doesn’t hesitate to explain. “Katherine told him it’s a total load of wishful thinking because he just wants to see you again.”

“But it appears to be true,” Jeremy tells her. “That you’re not normal.”

“Thanks Jer,” Elena reaches forward and pushes gently at his shoulder. “Make a girl feel special.”

“Well, we’re going to find out. How do you feel about blindfolds?” Caroline asks trying to flash Elena a cheerful smile in the rear-view mirror. “Think of where we’re going as top secret.”

“Caroline why can’t you tell me?”

“Elena, why couldn’t you tell us you were alive? Stop asking questions and just do as you’re told,” Jeremy tosses her a blindfold and it’s clear that he’s still not pleased with her. 

Elena feels a deep sense of foreboding connected to the idea of taking away one of her senses, but she knows they’re not driving towards Mystic Falls. She’s not sure where it comes from, but she just has this vision of her hitting an invisible wall that surrounds Mystic Falls at 50 miles per hour and it’s not pretty. Jeremy however, has not let up on his hard stare and so Elena reluctantly places the blindfold on and secures it.

“How long do I have to wear this for?”

“Until we get there,” Jeremy answers. “So Elena, what have you been doing the last three years other than not telling us you were alive?”

“Going to college, trying to write a book,” Elena answers. “You know, normal girl stuff.”

“You went to college!” Caroline shrieks. “Klaus sent you to college!”

Elena spends an unknown number of hours explaining to Caroline and Jeremy bits about her life. She isn’t sure if she should try and explain how empty she was. Elena had woken up and Klaus had won everything. So many people who mattered to her where dead or hurt. Elena can’t even explain to herself why it took three years to get her act together and do something. Jeremy and Caroline offer little in return about what has happened in Mystic Falls. 

“So is winter in Wisconsin really that bad?” Jeremy finally asks. It’s clear he’s looking for lighter conversation topics. 

“Yes, I’ll be glad to never go back there,” Elena answers. “Summer is actually really nice, but I don’t think I can go back. I was so empty there.”

The problem with the ordeals of Mystic Falls was that Elena wasn’t the only one who had suffered. So while it was certainly understandable that she was traumatized so was everyone else. And for the most part they had dealt with their trauma together and Elena and let them believe she was dead which added to it. It would be difficult for everyone to recover from.

“We’re almost there Elena, have another blood bag,” Caroline instructs.

Negotiating drinking a blood bag in a moving car while blindfolded was not very easy but Elena managed without getting blood all over herself. Thankfully, Elena is also given the good blood and not the nasty stuff she’d had last. Elena finishes the bag and hands it back to Jeremy who seems to be the keeper of the trash. 

“Can I take this off yet?” Elena asks as the vehicle slows down. Being blindfolded in the backseat is not that different from being locked in the back of Alaric’s trunk after all. 

“Soon,” Caroline answers. She sounds tense and Jeremy’s pulse is speeding up.

“Soon will be when the car stops,” Elena warns softly. “Between you and Jeremy you’re pinging every danger instinct I think I have.”

The car stops and Elena can hear Caroline turning but it doesn’t matter she’s ripping off the blindfold and bolting out of the car as fast as she can. Elena finds herself standing in front of a boarding house she thought she’d never see again.


	10. Chapter Ten

Elena’s whole body is paralyzed in shock. She was in Mystic Falls. Elena waits for her body to start screaming in pain for going against Klaus’s compulsion or just in terror but nothing happens. Well, actually she is shaking but she’s pretty sure it’s due to adrenaline. Elena learns something new about vampires every day. 

“Elena you need to go in the house,” Caroline says softly. “It’s fine.”

“Why can’t they come out here?” Elena assumes that everyone is waiting for her.

“We’ll all be back later, but you and Damon need to talk,” Caroline is talking is already walking back around to the driver’s side of her car. “Besides we’d never get anything done with you two staring at each other the whole time.”

Elena is absently grateful there will be no witnesses to what happens next. She walks up to the door telling herself it’s going to be fine and knocks. She’s been gone three years and has no right to just walk in.

The door is open and there is Damon just as he has appeared in her dreams. There is no hesitation and there is no speech. Elena’s not sure who moves first but they are clinging to each other suddenly and completely. For Damon and Elena this is the one moment they had dreamed about, and they had it. Finding out that the one person you thought you’d never see again is really alive and had never left you? For two vampires as damaged as Damon and Elena it’s peace. 

Elena is not sure how long they stand there in the open door clinging to each other, and she doesn’t care. She’s willing to stand there a lot longer but Damon has started shuffling them backwards bit by bit. Elena follows his lead, until the door is shut. Finally she takes her hand and unclenches it from his shirt and intertwines it with his. Finally, she takes a deep breath and speaks.

“I hate to tell you this, but your brother is a liar,” Elena knows they’ve been silent because neither of them knows what to say so she deflects with humor. 

“He’s not the only one,” Damon answers nuzzling her tighter. “What do you remember Elena?”

“Nothing that I didn’t already know,” her answer comes with ease.

Finally, Damon lets go of her but not of her hand. They walk further into the house which is so familiar even after all this time. Elena feels comfortable here, and she feels finally at home. 

“So I take it you didn’t eat Jeremy?”

“No, but it was a near thing. You sent some nasty blood bag with him and they made me drink it all.”

Damon looks smug. There is no other word for it, but he is clearly beyond pleased.

“I was right,” now Damon also sounds smug. “I was right, and now you’re here.”

“How is any of this possible?” Elena asks still confused over how she is here. “Klaus compelled me.”

“Baby vamp, you are either immune to compulsion or Klaus is just not very good at it,” Damon tells her and the smugness is still there. “You have had animal blood and you are in Mystic Falls.”

“Animal blood?”

“Yep. Turns out you’re not a fan of cow. Which Elena I am shocked because I have seen you eat red meat and it was violent.”

“We all have to learn to eat properly sometime,” Elena responds trying to salvage her dignity and sound demure. “You just have all the answers don’t you?”

“I have really good dreams. I just wanted them to be reality.”

“Remind me to give you my book,” Elena answers with an easy grin. “Well, when I finish the end.”

Elena and Damon are sitting on the sofa now and she’s lying back against him. It’s just as comfortable as she remembers it being in their first dream. They are both silent enjoying each other enjoying knowing that they are alive. 

“Do you know how it ends yet?” Damon finally asks softly. She can tell he’s almost afraid to ask.

Elena twists around using her vampire speed so she is now straddling Damon and can look him in the face.

“I have a pretty good idea. You might even like the ending,” Elena is flirting with him. She has to. Banter is their way, and she’s comfortable now to flirt with him, even though it’s been so long.

“I already like it more than the one there was. But why don’t you tell me more about the ending?”

“Well the girl in your dreams you were trying to save? She dies you know. She was always going to. But sometimes, death isn’t the end after all. So the dead girl lives.”

“And me? What happens to the guy who wanted so badly to save her?”

“It was never his job to save her. So the girl is never angry about that. She comes back to him though even though she’s not supposed to.”

“Says who?” Damon is listening to her intently his other hand twisting through her hair in a way that feels marvelous. “I think this is exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

“It is,” Elena agrees arching back further into his hand. “That doesn’t mean that everyone will understand, or even that the girl really knows what she’s doing.”

“I think that’s been evident from the beginning.”

Elena smacks him lightly on the arm.

“Hey now! Not everyone knows exactly what they want; or even what they’re doing.”

“Please, in this town plans are useless. It was swinging it with the whole animal blood and compulsion thing. For once it just worked.”

“Well I’ll be sure to mention in my story that you don’t have all the answers either.”

“Thanks. So you’ve summed up how we got here with you as a vampire sitting on my lap. Although, I have to tell you we’re doing more talking than I thought we’d do once I got you here.”

“Admire my restraint Damon. And stop trying to tempt me,” Elena admits to the desire she feels. She can’t turn it off and she really doesn’t know how long she can behave herself. She wouldn’t want Damon to be alarmed if she jumped him suddenly. “I thought you wanted to talk.”

“Talking is over rated. I’ve been waiting for this for years. Plus I’ve got impulse control issues I’m sure you’re familiar with,” Damon’s eyes are becoming heated. 

Elena doesn’t shy away and decides to give into her impulse and kisses him. She really meant for it to be a nice polite kiss, or at least a short-ish one? However, Elena has forgotten how easy it is to lose herself in Damon and his kissing. He is after all, very good at it. Now Elena doesn’t even need to breath and she finds herself scooting ever closer to Damon as she fists her loose hand in his hair. Elena’s not really sure how long they kiss for, but when they stop they both look ruffled. 

“Don’t you want to know the end?” Elena is teasing now as she tries to hold herself back.

“I’ll read the dam book Elena. It’s not like I’m not living it anyways,” Damon sounds distracted as he picks her up and starts heading for the stairs.

Elena waits until they’re inside his room he room that hasn’t changed since the last time she was here. Damon sets her on her feet inside the threshold almost looking uncertain. Clearly more words are called for. 

“I’m not going to run Damon,” Elena promises. “I came back.”

“Are you sure Elena? I need you to be sure.”

“There’s nothing that could make me leave,” Elena promises. “I made up my mind.”

“I lost you once Elena, and I can’t lose you again,” Damon’s eyes are pleading with her. “You can’t just be a dream.”

“I’m not a dream,” Elena promises again “I’ve already written what happens next. I know what happens.”

“Happily ever after?”

Elena rolls her eyes. Not even Damon things it’s going to be that easy. She pushes at Damon until he’s further into the room.

“We have eternity to work on that if it’s what you want,” Elena agrees. “I had a different plan. Now I know you mentioned our plans are deeply flawed, but I have a short term plan I think could succeed.”

Elena is happy. She is being honest-there is a lot of work to solve their potential problems. Just because they’re both alive doesn’t really mean they get the happy ending, it means they get the chance. She’s unbuttoning Damon’s shirt now and he’s not objecting or helping. He’s just watching her with this half smile on his face.

“What is this short term plan? I remember _your_ plans and those definitely end badly.”

“Well, I thought I’d tell you that I love you and I then have sex with you, but if you don’t want to risk that plan,” Elena is stepping back a teasing glint in her eyes.

She doesn’t even make it one step away before Damon pulls her back to him.

“Sounds like it might be one of your better plans,” Damon confirms. “I particularly like the part where you talk about your feelings and then we have sex. I may have been waiting awhile for that.”

“I love you,” Elena tells him simply and without hesitation. It’s not the solution to their problems, but it’s a start.

Damon moves quickly and they’re on the bed. Damon’s bed is exactly as comfortable as Elena remembers.

“I’m not dreaming right?” Damon asks again as he rips her shirt off.

“No. Not dreaming,” Elena is helping with his own shirt eagerly. “This is real.”

There are no more words for a long while. There are things that occupy their time. It’s hours later when Elena lays against Damon with his hands tracing up and down her side while she does the same to his stomach that they speak.

“What do we do next?” Damon asks as they lay together in the dark. It’s daytime, Elena can tell, but no light gets through Damon’s curtains. 

“We live Damon,” Elena answers. “We live, and we fight, and most importantly, we win.”

“We win?” Damon asks amused somewhat to hear her talk about a future. It means a lot that she did come back to fight. Elena has always been willing to die for them, but fighting for them is better. This is better than any dream he’s had and it’s their future.

“We win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this turned out to be way more than I intended for it to be. I know it's not perfect, but I appreciate any of you have read it through to the end.


End file.
